The Mao Shan Declaration

The Third Ecology Protection Forum of China Daoist Temples and Pagodas

In 2008, an earthquake hit Wen Chuan in Sichuan Province and the Olympics were held in Beijing. In this bittersweet autumn, sixty-nine representatives from Chinese Taoist temples and associations have gathered together in Mao Shan - a blissful place in Southeast China - to discuss ways to counter the global ecological crisis with international environmental organizations in order to build a better homeland.

The Daoist philosophy and Daoist religion both emphasize the values of life and nature. They see everything as equal, and the world as a whole, so that when one thing gets hurt, others will be harmed, and when one thing is protected, others will share the benefit. In today’s world, climate change, natural disasters and environment pollution have become our real concerns. But we are also in a good era, a time when the whole country is united, science has been greatly developed and harmony has become a shared goal. The Daoist faiths therefore recognize that it is necessary to inherit our old tradition, while also advancing with time, and to innovate and make progress.

为达此目标，我们郑重宣告：The Ecology Protection Forum of China Daoist Temples and Pagodas follows the principle that the “Dao Follows Nature” and sees the pursuit of harmony between heaven and human as its obligation. It calls for all Daoists to change our feelings and behavior to realize the sacred goal that we share: to build ecological temples and forge our heaven on earth.

Based on Taoist principles, we hold Lao Zi as our God of Ecology. We advocate a better use of land, forest and water resources, and we call for all the faithful to make the landscape in and around Taoist temples greener and more beautiful. We will also put in place proper facilities that will help protect our water resources and deal with pollution, build systematic plans and regulations that will help to promote environment protection programs, and education, and use energy saving technology and materials in order to build a benign ecological link between living areas and the natural environment.

我们还承诺：在今后的十年里，将以下七个方面作为生态道观建设的重点：

We also promise that in the next ten years, our ecological temples project will focus on the following seven areas:

加强教职人员培训，增进生态意识，确立环境保护的道教职责

1. Putting great effort into ecological education and training. Expanding materials and education about the natural environment, that will be open to pilgrims and ordinary people who visit our temples and mountains.